***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Nuggetirl]

....put the waterer up on bricks, had 2 whole days of wonderful poop free and mostly bedding free water. Then Gwyn realized he could roost on top of the waterer. Now he poops directly in the waterer all the time.

On a lighter note, I love it when Scooter (the silkie) wipes her face off after shoving her entire face into the feeder. @subhanalah good news! Scooters crest seems to be growing back very feminine. And she's molting (or at least growing a TON of feathers)

 

[ashtree]

....put the waterer up on bricks, had 2 whole days of wonderful poop free and mostly bedding free water. Then Gwyn realized he could roost on top of the waterer. Now he poops directly in the waterer all the time.   

On a lighter note, I love it when Scooter (the silkie) wipes her face off after shoving her entire face into the feeder. @subhanalah
 good news! Scooters crest seems to be growing back very feminine. And she's molting (or at least growing a TON of feathers)   

Nipple waterer convinced yet? They're awesome! I have a bucket in each coop and water bowls, just cause you can never have too many water stations!
And I really thought scooter looked like a pullet in your first pictures. A very cute one too! Fingers crossed you get a girl.

 

[Nuggetirl]

Quote: LOL about the nipple waterers. Gwyn is apparently determined to convince me as much as you guys!

 

[Sagetown]

....put the waterer up on bricks, had 2 whole days of wonderful poop free and mostly bedding free water. Then Gwyn realized he could roost on top of the waterer. Now he poops directly in the waterer all the time.

On a lighter note, I love it when Scooter (the silkie) wipes her face off after shoving her entire face into the feeder. @subhanalah good news! Scooters crest seems to be growing back very feminine. And she's molting (or at least growing a TON of feathers)

I hang my 1 gal waterer from the barn rafters on a small chain with an eyelet that screws into the rafter, and an 'S' hook on the waterer handle. To keep the 'S' hook centered on the waterer handle, I filed a groove in the bottom side of the handle for the hook to sit in. (This prevents water spillage ) Any attempt for the chickens to hop up on the swinging waterer is absolutely futile. I do the same with my large feeders.

 

[koolhandlinc]

I hang my 1 gal waterer from the barn rafters on a small chain with an eyelet that screws into the rafter, and an 'S' hook on the waterer handle. To keep the 'S' hook centered on the waterer handle, I filed a groove in the bottom side of the handle for the hook to sit in. (This prevents water spillage ) Any attempt for the chickens to hop up on the swinging waterer is absolutely futile. I do the same with my large feeders.

I will try this after I complete the run. Thanks!

 

[Sagetown]

I will try this after I complete the run. Thanks!

What I found to be very helpful with the swinging feeders, is , as the chicks grow, you can adjust the feeder, and waterer height to their size by merely moving the 'S' hook up the chain. It keeps them from getting their dirty little feet in the food and water.

 

[koolhandlinc]

Any actions in green country area this weekend for chickens, ducks or rabbits?
+

 

[bardies]

Subhanalah addressed something I wasn't going to touch. It's just easiest to know that almost everything you get that people call Ameraucana are really EEs with Ameraucana traits and possibly strong Ameraucana bloodlines. Buy from trusted sources. My suggestion is to go to a show, like the yearly show in Shawnee, find birds that win, and buy from those breeders. Dusti and I saw some GORGEOUS Ameraucanas at the last Shawnee show.

That's if you're really set on purebreds. And even then, most chickens today aren't pure, even purebreds.n

Then when you go to an auction and the auctioneer says "We got some beautiful Ameraucanas right here" you can just nod and smile with the rest of us.

Someone, Kyzmette?, was going to make a shirt regarding the whole auracana/ameraucana/ee thing.

Anyway.... one thing to think about, and sorry, but I do NOT have personal experience here wrt chickens- just second hand word regarding other breeds.. If you want to breed 'pure' then going to a show is a good way to go. However, egg quality (color/production/etc) is not easily observed (with exception of minimum color for Marans) and certainly not displayed with the bird. Often, lines that breed towards show standards, will sacrifice in other areas. For me, I am after the eggs and general eye candy - not show quality features, so I happily go the easy EE route without a care in the world. In the Marans breeds, I want to see what the eggs look like, and have little regard for what the birds themselves actually look like. For others - Barred Rock, silkies, for my purposes - I need to see the adult birds before I get excited. The production and appearance of eggs are a second hand thought.

I am used to pedigrees on purebred animals. So roll my eyes at this thought - but with non pedigreed 'pure' stock, it is common in cattle - and also in poultry, to be able to breed towards pure. So in many 'pure' stock (the percentage might be only 95% - or more or less - depending on definition of 'pure' in the particular) there might be a percentage of something else and a recessive color or whatever can just pop out. Seems to me that there is a very politically incorrect saying about something being in the woodpile? All kinds of 'pure' things - especially manmade breeds -might have something in the woodpile that shows up.

So, before getting wrapped around a drama axle. You should decide what your goals are.

 

[artsyrobin]

Quote:
quite possibly bumblefoot, here is how i treat mine, the infection can show up on the to not the bottom, pics would help

nnbreeder Here is about the best info that I have come up with on bumblefoot. Try the iodine/sugar poultice first, wrapping with the coflex bandage to keep it clean. Change it daily. The bacteria doing the dirty work is most often a staphlylococcus bacteria and I've found that Penicillin G procaine (white penicillin) given at a dose of 30 000 I.U., twice a day (once a day in less severe infections) is good at treating bumblefoot. If there is no change in the swelling after 3 days, then you may have to open the wound up. If you have to, you must wrap it every day until it is more or less healed, or more staph bacteria will get in there and start the whole cycle back up. This is why I avoid it if possible. There probably won't be any liquid pus in the foot, but a cheesy pus that works its way into the tendons and ligaments in the foot- be prepared to get as much out as you can, but don't risk damaging the foot. Flush it out with sterile saline (under pressure- put the saline into a syringe and flush with quite a bit of force). I avoid hydrogen peroxide in open wounds as it stings and can do tissue damage (if used too often... It has it's place, though). You can flush the wound with a tea colored solution of betadine and water- mostly water with just enough betadine to make the solution the color of strong tea. Flush this in first (again, in the syringe) then flush it all out again with the saline. Hopefully the wound comes around with just the Pen G procaine and the iodine/sugar poultice.

 

[subhanalah]

LOL about the nipple waterers. Gwyn is apparently determined to convince me as much as you guys! 

I just bought some, but the price came out to 2.10 a piece including shipping. I have a few extra I could sell, if they weren't SO expensive, I'd just give you a couple!

Can't wait for pictures! I have one from scooter's hatch that had a very wide set comb,and is thus far looking very pullety. Three or four of them have already got streamers (silkie sickle feathers) on their tails, so...I'm hoping this white one stays a girl!
Here's one that has the streamers in his tail.